FACADE
"Facade" is the upcoming debut album by the progressive rock band The Absynths. The album's themes include anger, death, deception, fear, and religion. It was recorded over numerous sessions in Canoga Park, Long Beach, and South Gate; CA. The album is meant to carry an atmosphere of darkness, imagination, madness, and sadness, as if it were all a dream. It is a concept album based on childhoood memories and recurring dreams Chavez had as a teenager, observations of religion, relationships between children and their parents, and the sense of abandonment.
The nine tracks on the album reflect various stages of life that each member experienced as a child and/or teenager. The album opens with "Incept", which explains to be a song about being born with fear caused by religious beliefs his 'mother' (the antagonist) forced 'him' (the protagonist) to believe. "Dramatic Sequence" examines the role people sometimes play when religion is used in a negative way. This observation is inspired by the following song entitled "Secret Kingdom", which is a speech taken out of context that was recorded many years ago. The song then quietly fades into "Anaclasisof Necrobiosis", a number about breaking free and thinking for one's self after being deceived and manipulated for years. Anger is addressed in "Texture Decays" when it's discovered that everything he believed in was a lie, and the relief he felt when he started living his own life on his own terms. "Haruspex" observes a conversation held between the protagonist and his mother in one of his recurring dreams. The loss of faith in God and his promises is referenced in "Whisper". Toward the end of the song, the protagonist is oppressed and haunted by what he considers to be a threat by his mother. "Rescue Me" evokes insanity and the loss of his mother's love for him. The album ends with "Proselytize", which espouses suicide, forcing the listener to accept death as an end for some poeple, but a beginning for others. In this case, death would only be the beginning.
The use of cryptic lyrics in the album are used to describe the concept from a capricious view, which invites the listener to enter a fantasy wonderland. The album also utilizes ambience at the end of songs to symbolize desultoriness and self seclusion; a common trait that the group felt when they were teenagers.
*the album does not cite the name of the protagonist*
"Facade" is tentatively scheduled to be released on Feb 12, 2010 on No Silence Records.
"Facade" track list is as follows:
1. Incept
2. Dramatic Sequence(Garden of Eden)
3. Secret Kingdom
4. Anaclasis of Necrobiosis (Comportamiento Erratico)
5. Texture Decays(El Pueblo Sin Verguenza/Claimed/A Dream In Reverse Part I)
6. Haruspex (A Dream In Reverse Part II)
7. Whisper (Transcendence/Pagan Preacher Speaks)
8. Rescue Me
9. Proselytize (144,000 Stand Still)
All songs are written by Esteban Chavez.
These songs are therefore performed by The Absynths.
Personnel:
Esteban Chavez - Production, Concept, Recording Engineer, Mixing, Vocals, Guitars, Programming, Keyboards, Synthesizers, Percussions, Occasional Bass, Beats & Sound Manipulation, Tapes
Catherine Serafin - Drums
Felix Bada - Bass Guitar, Synthesizers, Mastering, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer
Jonathan Perez - Saxophone & Art Work